True Multiple Tuner Support

Announcements
#1

Channels now supports multiple tuners at the same time!

You no longer have to choose which tuner you want to use. Channels uses all of the HDHomeRun devices on your network to create a single guide and to stream channels. And it does this without you even noticing.

So what does this really mean?

If you have a single tuner, no big deal. Your guide simply lists all your channels and what’s currently on. When you tune to a channel but your tuners all in use, you get the normal Tuner Not Available message.

What if you have 2 HDHomeRun devices? You still get the same simple guide, but now when the tuners are all in use on a single device, Channels will attempt to use your other HDHomeRun device to tune the channel.

This means you can stack HDHomeRun devices. Are you finding that the 2 tuners in your Connect isn’t cutting it with your family watching TV around the house? Just pick up another Connect and boom, now you have 4 tuners available all over the house for watching on the TV or iOS device.

Can I set a primary tuner?

Yep! You can order your devices by priority on the Settings tab.

If you have a Connect and a Prime, you can tell Channels to always try streaming from the Connect before it tries streaming from the Prime.

With device priority sorting and the ability to disable channels, you’ve got everything you need to really strategize how your TV operations are set up, heh.

This works per Channels application too. So, if you want to prioritize your Prime in the living room and your Connect in the kitchen, you can do that. Or maybe you want to prioritize your Extend on your iPad so it always sends over a smaller transcoded stream.

You really have the power to strategize any way that you want, and we’re super excited that Channels can do this for you in a simple and straightforward way.

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Combine Multiple Tuners Together
#2
#3

Excellent news. Now if you could do the prioritising for the DVR your working on that would be class. We could select the extend for recordings and the connect for live TV, this would then ensure the the recordings take up as little room on the NAS as possible. :+1:t2:

#4

@hippykiller2 That’s the plan. This way you can fully strategize how your tuners are utilized. You could set one tuner as the primary one for recording in DVR and then set that one as the lowest priority tuner in your Channel clients.

1 Like
#5

When can we try out the DVR?

#6

Does this work with the old white HDHomeRun Dual? I’d like to have two antennas plugged in facing different directions to pick up a few different channels. Will that work to have a single list of channels? I just tried to rescan my network for tuners but only one shows up.

#7

Depends what other tuner you’re trying to combine it with. A DUAL + CONNECT should work, since the station callsigns will match and it can combine them using that. A DUAL + PRIME will currently not work, since the call signs coming from your cable company are different.

#8

Thanks for the response. I’m actually not looking to connect to another tuner, I’m just looking to understand how the two tuners in the Dual work with Channels. The HDHomeRun configuration software shows two separate tuners, but Channels has always just shown one after a scan. Ideally, I’d just get a single list of OTA stations and chose the ones with the strongest signal (ie. ABC and NBC from tuner 0 and CBS and Fox from tuner 1).

#9

I see, you must have the model that has two separate coax inputs. That was the only model made with two inputs (the DUALs that came after it have two tuner, but one antenna input).

We do not currently support two different antennas with that model. The only supported configuration is a single antenna + splitter attached to both inputs, which will let you watch two channels on two different devices.

#10

That’s right, it’s the older white model with two inputs. Not a huge problem, and I understand there’s little reason to spend time developing for older hardware. Thanks for answering my question.

#11

Very interesting. I have one HDHomeRun Extend. I’m just wondering how to connect a second one to the same antenna? My antenna plugs into a box that amplifies the signal. Then from that box to the HDHomeRun. That box has a second coax cable going out. Perhaps that one can be connected to a second HDHomeRun Connect or HDHomeRun Extend.

#12

You can buy a coax splitter which can split the signal. It sounds like your amplifier might already have a splitter though.

#13

I have the Dual with a splitter per your post. However I can only tune a single channel on one device, not two concurrently on two different devices.

#14

Is the firmware on the tuner up to date? What error message do you get when trying to watch a second channel?

#15

If this is truly a Dual (especially one of the older White Box units) then there is the possibility of an issue with the power adapter. One of the symptoms of a failed power supply is that the second tuner on a device will not tune even though the first one does. Try another power supply (check voltage and amps; same voltage; higher amp OK)

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#16

Noob with a question. Apologies if this is elementary.

I'm about to install two OTA antennas, each pointed at two different markets/cities. If I purchase two HD Homerun duals, how do I combine channels seamlessly from both devices on my network?

#17

On my.hdhomerun.com you can disable the channels which are weak on any given hdhomerun. The Channels software does the rest and combines them together automatically.

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#18

It would be awesome if Channel could give a more traditional message instead of All Turners are in USE. What would be better is Judge Judy is recording on Channel XXX would you like to watch live or stop recording. I read this whole thread and I still do not know how to get rid of this message

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#19

As is mentioned in the thread, you can combine multiple HDHRs with a coax splitter and will increase your available tuners. You could also have different antennas pointed at different markets, each going to its own HDHR... in this case you don't need a splitter (this is also mentioned in this thread).... and will get even more channels. This is a good way to do it if you live near two different broadcast locations.
Either way that you do it, increasing the tuners for watching and recording will eliminate the message that there are no available tuners. ie: you are trying to use more resources than currently exist. So, increase your resources.

#20

It's a little harder to display a message when there's a lot of things that could be using the tuners like Plex, HDHomeRun, MythTV, TVHeadend, TVMosaic, etc etc.